Organ sound-board



(No Model.) 2 Sheets-8heet 1-.

J. G. 0. SIEPKER.

ORGAN SOUND BOARD.

No. 339,224. Patented Apr. 6, 1886.

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(N0 Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

J. G. 0. SIEPKER.

ORGAN SOUND BOARD.

No. 339,224. Patented Apr. 6, 1886.

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UNTTan STATES PATENT Orricn.

JOHN G. C. SIEFKER, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

ORGAN SOUND-BOARD.

QFEE'IFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 339,224, dated April 6, 1886.

Application tiled October .3, 1885. Serial No. 180,760. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, JOHN G. O. SIEFKER, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, and a citizen of the United States, have invented new and useful Improvements in Organ Sounding-Boards, of which the following is a full description.

Heretol'ore it has been customary to construct the sounding-boards of organs in a parallelogram shape without any attempt to pr0- portion the width and thickness of the same to the graduallyincreasing vibration of the reed-tongue in the notes running from the bass to the treble end of the scale.

The object of my invention is to improve and strengthen the tones of organs by adapting the sounding-board as nearly as practicable in a gradual taper in width from the bass to the treble end thereof, in order that the vibrations of the reed -tongues may be more nearly in unison than when the soundingboard is of the same width at the bass as the treble end. I also further the above object,if I so desire, by making the sounding-board thickest at the bass end, and gradually decrease it in thickness until it is thinnest at the treble end. Through lack of spacein the organ it is impossible to exactly adapt the width of the sounding-board at the bass end so that the same will vibrate in unison or proportion with the deep bass notes. This is particularly so in the smaller instruments. Hence I may not start the taper of the sound ingboard at the extreme bass end of the scale, as numbers of the bass notes may require the greatest width of sounding-board obtainable, but in this case will start the taper at a point nearer the treble end of the instrument.

The objects above mentioned I attain by the mechanism illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure l is a top view of an organ soundingboard as now made; Fig. 2, a rear View of the sounding-board with the rear part cut away in a gradual taper from the extreme bass to thetreble end, and also the front part removed in the same way. Fig. 3 is a view of the same with only a portion of the rear of the sounding-board cut away. Fig. 4 is a view of the same cut away in a curve. Fig. .5 is a longitudinal section of the soundingboard, showing the taper in thickness.

Referring to the drawings, in which similar letters refer to similar parts, A is the sounding-board; B, the ccll-board; D, the mutes, and G the sounding-board supports or bearings.

In all of the figures the sounding-board A. is broken away, to show the old and my improved method of placing the supports in order to obtain the desired tapering of the sounding-board.

In Fig. 2 the rear support, 0, runs in a direct taper from the bass to the treble end, cut ting off the portion E of the soundingboard, and can be used when the width of the in strument admits; also, if desired, I may cut away the front part of the sounding-board that is, the part in front of the cell-boardby placing the support a in the position indicated in the figure.

In Fig. 3 the support e is shown commencing at a point about midway between the bass and treble end, and is used when it is desiraable to have the greatest width of soundingboard to vibrate as nearly as may be in unison with a large number of the bass notes.

Fig. 4 simply shows the use of a curved support, g, which may run from any point at or near the bass end to the treble end of the scale, as the width of the instrument admits.

If desired, in every instance the soundingboard may extend over the supports, so as to obtain a parallelogram shape as a matter of convenience in the construction of the organ, provided the same be attached or fastened to the supports, which, in effect, gives the taper to the same.

\Vhat I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In an organ, the soundingboard made narrower at the treble than the bass end thereof, substantially as described, and for the purposes set forth.

2. In an organ, the sounding-board wherein the vibrating board between the reed-tongues and the supports shall be widest at the bass, and taper to the treble end thereof, where it shall be narrowest, substantially as described.

3. In an organ, the sounding-board thickest at the bass end, and gradually decreasing in thickness to the treble end thereof, substantially as described.

5 4. In an organ, the sounding-board s0 constructed as to be both thicker and wider at the bass than the treble end, and gradually decreasing in thickness and width from the former to the latter, substantially as described,

and for the purpose set forth.

JOHN G. G. SIEFKER.

\Vitnesses:

H. P. BUIKERNA, R. ALDEN. 

